Karma reasons for concrete message

Message

It used to be fun, a treat, even, back in the day, but nowadays I hate flying; increasingly, I try to avoid situations where I will have to fly somewhere, and I bet I am not the only one.

I hate being treated like a criminal in order to ride on transportation; having belongings confiscated several times and never returned; as a dreadlocked black woman always getting picked for the "random" additional screening while my white husband walks on through; being assumed guilty of unknown offenses and looked at suspiciously by other passengers; the hand pat-downs; the naked machine-- and now, having to teach my daughter to undergo the same.

As recently as the late 1990's, my husband and I waited together at the gate, kissed each other goodbye and saw the spouse get onto the flight. I remember meeting folks right as they got off the plane. The days of walking your friends to the gate and saying goodbye, well, we kissed that good bye.

And, although we have inconvenienced everyone and accustomed everyone to more "security", we are not safer from terrorism. Anyone who wants to can walk into an airport, shopping mall or public gathering a la Boston Marathon and commit a violent act. It has always been that way-- look at the US anarchist bombings in the early 20th century.

Better social services including mental health care, especially for veterans, some technical fixes to track bomb materials and guns, and less military involvement in foreign countries would do far more to reduce the terror threat at a fraction of the cost in time, money and personal liberty. (Gets down, slowly due to arthritic knees, from soapbox.)